Canada, halal food, and the cost of refusal.

Is it a crime to refuse to eat halal food? Conversely, is it a crime to refuse to eat non-halal?

Well I think we can all agree that it is not for the latter question. But let’s look at the first part of that a little.

First of all, I don’t know what the laws are in terms of labeling meat as halal, but I do know that many Canadians are eating meat that was slaughtered in both a cruel and unhygienic way and would refuse to do so if they were aware of it. But what if you did know? What if for instance, you went to a movie theater and ordered something innocuous. Like a frozen yogurt. And then decided to look at the package to see what it was.

You notice the symbol and for any number of potential reasons, in fact even if you have no reason at all other than you reserve the right to know what you are eating you refuse to eat this product and wish to return it because  you were not informed of what it was.

Here is a part of the email I got from the person to whom this happened:

 …when I politely declined the smoothie, and explained why, the girl got upset and asked the other server to call the manager,
when he came over, I explained that I refused to eat halal products and asked if he knew what the slaughter process was all about, and he explained yes, they had two other muslim managers and they had explained it all to him.

So, it appears you are not really allowed to decline to eat halal foods. They will call the manager on you. It’s a damn good thing this poor woman wasn’t at the police station cafeteria.

I have a few ideas on legal, safe, and inoffensive activism for this issue. I know the legalities of it for the UK, but not yet sure about Canada. But I do think Canadians, as citizens of what we are told, is a free country, should have the right to choose our food for our own reasons and in order to do that, we need to know what it is.

More to come on this soon. I hope to see a lot of people in Canada and the U.K. ready to mark foods as halal with visible stickers but without damaging the food or the package in any way. We who do not wish to eat halal, have the same right to refuse it as any vegetarian, for example, has the right to decline to eat foods that contain animal products to whatever degree they choose and for whatever reasons they choose. This must extend to those of us who wish to observe and enforce animal cruelty laws, or food safety laws (halal foods are often contaminated with fecal matter and other ill-advised animal products because the animal snorts it back into its flesh as it chokes to death hanging upside-down breathing in its own blood) or because we just dont want to eat food consecrated to a genocidal god who’s followers wish to destroy our liberal democracy or, and most important of all,  because you just don’t want to.

Eeyore

 

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

24 Replies to “Canada, halal food, and the cost of refusal.”

  1. When you now open a can of Campbells vegetable beef soup you can hold the empty can to your ear and hear the Muslim prayer that went into it. MmmMmm Muslim good.
    I don’t buy Campbells anymore.

  2. I’m in Australia, and I ask the butcher if he sources his meat from an abbattoir that halal slaughters the animal. I emphasise “halal slaughter” rather than simply “halal” or “halal certified”, as the meat can lose its halal status after slaughter due to transport or even being with non-halal products.

    One I spoke with, who sold goat meat (small market here), told me that all meat was halal slaughtered, but he said it was humane in Australia. (We’d just had an uproar over the inhumane treatment in Indonesia). This is one argument they’ll try to use; the other is about kosher slaughter.

    One of the issues rarely brought up is that only muslims can work in these abbattoirs, or at least in certain areas. This is discrimination that cannot be justified as the meat is sold to the general public, including non-muslims, both locally and in the export market.

    My objection to eating halal slaughtered or halal certified food is that islam is a socio-political ideology that is an apartheid system, with human chattel slavery as a valid economic activity, and women are regarded as breeding and fornicating beasts in a man’s personal bordello.

    We need to emphasise the political objection to avoid the noise about kosher.

    I’m lucky, I found a butcher close by that sources his meat from a local farmer who slaughters his own meat and only sells to the local market. My butcher told me that his meat is definitely not halal slaughtered. So now I can eat meat and lamb again. I like pork, but did miss my steaks 🙂

  3. Consumers be aware. It is the Goverment’s responbility to ensure that all products sold in Canada are properly identify so that Canadians can make an informed decision on what and what not to buy.
    In my view, anyone wilfully buying halal food is supporting an Islamic idiology which totally contrevene our Canadian culture.

  4. I have the dubious honour of being kicked out of and banned from returning to a local chicken fast food franchise because I asked for the cost of halal certification to be taken from the cost of my meal. It turns out that the owner is a female revert who truly believes that it is wonderful that I have to fund islamic dietary requirements. She tried to lie to me and tell me it did not cost extra for halal certification and when I was able to refute her assertion she started on with you don’t know anything about islam. I offered to come back with my qua’ran and hadith she baulked and started with the racist rant. She also was very happy to tell me that all the meat at the main retailers in the shopping centre were halal, I advised her I knew this and bought my meat from a butcher who did not source from islamic slaughter houses. Anyway I was kicked out and told not to return. I now feel discrimated against and am really “offended” at the treatment I received. Know any good lawyers to help me deal with the offense caused by this woman and the franchisor of this chain

  5. Why oh why are the Kosher groups such as COR which regulates in Canada, aligning themselves with halal products so that both labels appear as above, this is very sad. For decades, Jewish people have tried to have kosher and I suspect with great difficul
    ty at times, however, in the many many decades, they have never ever tried to sell food in stores or restaurants without the public knowing it was kosher….
    Yet, it seems that is the one objective of the islamics in Canada, to introduce the halal meat and products so that by the time everyone realizes it, they will just shrug, as they have been eating the halal for so long, and very few will be angered by being made fools of by the islamic scourge.
    Who will take this COR group who regulates kosher products to task for aligning themselves with the halal labels???????? They must be obama supporters

  6. I hope you can realize just how ignorant and racist this blog post and the bulk of the comments are. Refusing to eat halal just because it is halal (synonymously Muslim) is the essentially the same as refusing to eat a meal with turmeric in it because it is a spice first used by Indians. The processing of halal meat is superceded by laws governing the cleanliness of meat processing in Canada. Please dont believe the bullshit emails and blog posts that claim otherwise. Find a reputable news article about people eating tainted halal meat in tr past decade (as opposed to tainted meat from a maple leaf or Schneiders plant) and I will eat my hat. The person who refused to eat the halal (and kosher) yoghurt should be shamed for their rabid bigotry against something g they do not even understand. Idiots like them make the world a worse place and provide justification for the psycho Muslims who claim, mostly falsely but unfortunately partly true thanks to you, that the west is at war with their religion.

  7. People who were forced to eat halal would end up not only unhappy consumers but also very put off by this imposition of an alien dogma such as islam. People who are NOT of the islamic faith who ate halal willingly are not only ignorant of the horrible consequences of creeping of islamisation of certain business practices that (foolishly?) gave priority to (only?) islamic demands but also blissfully unaware of the danger posed to our nonbelievers freedom or of other faith diminishing freedom for decent choice. Their refusal to acknowledge this danger caused by aggressive islamisation is also caused for concern. That does not meant one is at war with islam if one refused to eat halal or halal labeled food. We nonbelievers should be given a choice, whenever possible, and not have the halal label pushed to us rudely and without consideration.

  8. Excuse me, Kevin, I know animal cruelty when I see it. Thus I am also one of these ‘bigots’ that is refusing to eat halal cheese and other products. Being a vegetarian I do not discriminate between halal and haram meat. (allowed and disallowed meat..does that not seem somehow fascist to you?)
    Please stick that koraan somewhere the sun never shines and stop defending islam.
    I understand it might be harsh to stop being a slave to allah, considering you’s have to think for yourself…please do try and make the effort: you might end up being happy among us westerners!

  9. Thank you treintrien for proving my point exactly about the ignorance of the commenters on this thread. Actually, I am a rabidly Zionist culturally Jewish vegetarian though I live as a very outspoken atheist. Anyone who knows me understands my feelings towards all religion which is to say, I am not a fan and in fact quite vocal in my dislike of dogmatism and scripture. However refusing something just because it is halal is absolutely ridiculous. Do you people think you will become a Muslim from eating halal food? Do you actually believe that bull? Let te deluded imam pray over some food, but dont let him think you are against just him for his beliefs because they are no more ridiculous than christian, Jewish, Hindu or whatever scriptural beliefs people put far too much faith in. Please don’t give the psychos fuel for their fire with jackass stupid posts like this. Let’s rail against extremism in all it’s forms, including ignorant anti islamic racism.

  10. Kevin. C’mon over to my place for dinner. Of course, I will slip you some meat cause meat is very important to my diet and I don’t really give a damn about your freedom to choose and anyway, your refusal to eat meat, and your likely insistence to be informed of the meat in your food is just your own, xenophobic, racist hatred of carnivores.

    It can’t be any other way. You are an ignorant racist fool who hates meat eaters. What right do you have to be informed of the contents of your food? You, like us, simply are not entitled to be informed or to make dietary choices for your own reasons. We know better for you. Besides, studies show that vegetarians have smaller brains. You should therefore be forced to eat meat.

    The bottom line:

    While there are many good reasons to not wish to eat halal foods, none of them matter. All that does matter is that people have the absolute right to choose for themselves what they wish to eat and their reasons are their own and none of your sanctimonious condescending judgmental business. Capiche?

  11. How is your meat killed eeyore? Unless you can say how, very specifically, your argument holds no water. Fr how many decades have people been buying meat slaughtered in maple leaf plants without anyone questioning the methods? The second it is done according to specific beliefs of another, or prayed over by a crazy person who has dedicated their life to an imaginary cloud god from a boring book written over a millennium ago, racists go apeshit. I have no qualms with people eating what they choose, or not eating something. In fact I actually have dedicated much of my life to protecting and improving human rights around the world. However it is clear that the actions of individuals like this show bigoted tendencies for things they don’t understand. I would wager my minimal life savings that the person who refused the frozen yoghurt has absolutely no idea what the process for making something halal is. Don’t justify these people’s actions and idiocies.
    And for the rexord, sown of my best frieds eat meat.

  12. Oh, and my reasons for not eating meat have a legitimate rationale. The rationale is what I am attacking. The reasons given, that halal meat is dirty or something, is bullshit. If someone wants to argue with my reasons for not eating meat that is fine. My reasons are sound, the worst someone can call me is an informed environmentalist. Whereas someone who refuses to eat halal for these bullshit reasons are at best easily fooled and at worst xenophobic an dangerous racists.

  13. Anti-halal or anti-islamic food is not racism.
    People are free NOT to eat or NOT to buy what they don’t like.

  14. Yea, people must be free to eat what they would like or not eat what they would not like. But seriously, read chrisse’s post and tell me that those commenting do not equate eating halal to being Islamic and all the bad things they assume are Islamic. Slavery and all of that stuff thy commenter’s post claimed were an enormous part of Christian life in america until not too long ago and still are a if part of christian life in some regions of Africa. Look up the LRA in Uganda.
    Furthermore, the idea that people should not have to pay for what they don’t want is a lovely if marvelously naive idea. I assume wlil is alluding to openyoureyesaustralia’s post. This commenter does not want to pay for the halal certification of her food. Great. And I don’t want to pay for the potion of my clothes that goes towards terrible advertising campaigns. I also don’t want to pay that portion of my mortgage that pays for my bank’s ceo’s boat. Nor the money my gas station pays to incite conflict in Africa.
    The only part of the arguments provided that it valid is about workers in certain parts of processing plants. If they can be nothing but Muslim that is a concern. Of course I wouldn’t assume too many nr Muslims would be vying for those jobs.
    Being anti halal is not necessarily racist but only if one has a good reason. Until I hear a valid rationale as opposed to the ones provided that seem to link halal, Islam, and everything bad in the world, it it likely based mostly or solely in ignorance an bigotry.

  15. In a multicultural set up(50% or more of the popululations consist of other faiths or nonfaith) in many parts of Asia, it is NOT right for the halal brigade to impose their halalness or attached the halal label on almost 99% of the food stuff and beverage! It makes a mockery of democracy. While it is up to individuals whether one find the halal label offensive or not, we nonbelievers should not be forced to comsume it out of no choice.

  16. Furthermore, it is up to individuals, if one do NOT wish to support any creeping totalitarian ideology, one should not be forced to support any brand or any logo that appear not to respect one individual choice, preference or have nothing to do with our beliefs or nonbelief.

  17. Kevin:

    Promise me one thing please. If you ever have to walk across the desert with a group of people, do not volunteer to be in charge of the refreshments.

    Because it is crystal clear that you cannot tell what holds water and what does not.

    1. I want my meat to be killed according to the standards of avoidance of animal cruelty which is a benchmark of Western civilization as a matter of fact. I also do not like the idea of an apartheid system of an industry that only allows Muslims to do certain jobs. In Canada and all free societies we have to have rational criteria for merit and then hire on that basis only. Not based on one tribe’s superstition and doubly so when that group has as it’s raison de etre, the genocide of another group of people who have done them no harm.

    But you know, as I said, the above is bullshit anyway. I am very pro-GM foods. I think that the technology of GM is allowing over 50% of the worlds people to not starve to death which is a very very good thing. However lots of morons are against GM foods and even though I think they are dangerous idiots they have a right to chose for themselves what they wish to eat. Because you know what? It is their bodies and they do not need to justify to me why they want to know if a food is modified by modern genetic methods or the more old fashioned methods of Mendelian genetic modification which all food in the world is, short of wild fish.

    For you to call people racist because they do not wish to eat food consecrated to an imaginary god and with hidden taxes that go to spread this dogma and its influence is, to say the very least, sanctimonious. I suspect you must be Canadian as that is Canada’s no. 1 product after oil. Especially coming from someone who clearly has all kinds of little food fetishes and demands. yours of course are sacred. And everyone else is a bigot.

    Now let’s deal with the Maple Leaf example you raise.

    Like most left leaning people, you are incapable of telling the difference between an exception, a crime, and a core dogma. For example, when someone points out to you the inherent pedophilia in Islam because of the example of the pirate Mohamed marrying a 6 year old and having sex with her, (although showing enough restraint to wait for genital sex till she was 9) you probably raise the example of Catholic clergy caught acting improperly. There is a fundamental difference between someone breaking a law, or a rule, or a precept, or dogma, and someone obeying a totally different dogma and celebrated for the same behavior. When Maple Leaf poisoned people, it was because they did not follow protocols. They committed crimes perhaps or otherwise went against practices we all expect to be in play for our safety.

    When Muslims do their version of Kosher, they actually kill the animal inhumanly and well as cause the meat to become contaminated to various degrees. This has been well confirmed by a French veterinarian here: http://vladtepesblog.com/?p=41428

    As for the rest of what you say, they are not arguments. They are hyperbole. You believe you are allowed to choose what to eat and reject other foods based on criteria you decide are important. You would deny that to other people because you dislike their rationale. This makes you your own enemy. The thing you accuse others of.
    Freedom for though, not so much for we.

    I don’t need a reason to have the choice to not eat halal meat. I demand the right to know what I am being fed though. And I demand the right to make choices for myself for whatever reasons I want.

    This is the very definition of freedom, because it allows for the idea that you may be wrong, as I may be wrong, and what is right or false comes out in the wash over time. You are free to reject meat and I should be free to reject halal foods. I have given you just a few of many very rational reasons for it not the least of which is that it violates important animal cruelty laws. But even if I just hated having someone chant ‘allahu Ackbar’ over my dinner, people who want the utter annihilation of a modern Western Liberal democracy, more than one actually, that should be more than enough to have the right to say no.

  18. Holy crap eeyore, I couldn’t event get thought the first sentence of your number 1 without it shattering it’s own legitimacy. Where does your met c

  19. Holy crap eeyore, I couldn’t event get thought the first sentence of your number 1 without it shattering it’s own legitimacy. Where does your meat come from? Have you visited a farm lately? What standards of animal welfare are you imagining? Pigs are kept in kennels to small for the to turn around in, chickens are pumped full of drugs to fatten them up and force them to produce a wholly unnatural amount of eggs per day. Visitig Muslim countries, like most developing countries, animals roam free. This is not by choice per say but since there are few large farms and many families own an animal or two to slaughter later.
    I love or you to bring up Muhammad as an example. I have no love for this possibly fictional character nor for many of his alleged teachings. But when you talk about his marrying a young girl, you should understand the culture around it. It’s disgusting, no defense here. But how about Abraham almost killing his son? How about king David’s slaves? How about he genocides perpetrate by the Jewish characters in the Torah? The Muslim world is backward, for the most part. I can argue that point better than most due to the one I have spent living in Muslim countries. I just hate the petty dislikes and double standards. Chris Hitchens and richatd Dawkins at least sprea out their attacks on all religion as an immense problem. And everyone here ha the right to eat or not eat whatever. But for someone to post on the Internet that it’s terrible he should have to eat a halal yoghurt is pathetic and a waste of time. It’s an attack against the least harmful aspects of Islamic culture. And I stan by my argument that it is due to. A bigoted rationale.

  20. IT becomes a problem and harmful to our nonbelievers freedom(not to mention the danger) when it spread to nonislamic products or nonislamic foods, nonfood products, nonislamic countries or other Western international brands. That means some(minority?) people like us who are aware of this unpleasant fact or are uncomfortable with the excessive halal labelling or are forced to purchase halal out of no choice in many parts of Asia are NOT happy about it.

  21. Join Hands, Heads and Hearts with anti-Halal Campaigner Ravi Ranjan Singh, who has filed Petition in Parliament of India. Support it,He supports all such petition worldwide and runs door to door campaign/ education dissemination in India.
    Send Support letter to him get in touch at pa*********@gm***.com
    and simultaneously
    Write to:

    Mr. Bhagat Singh Koshyari, (M.P.)
    Chairman, Committee on Petitions of Rajya Sabha
    Parliament of India.
    E-mail

    Mr. Bhagat Singh Koshyari, (M.P.)
    Chairman, Committee on Petitions of Rajya Sabha
    Parliament of India,
    Parliament Street, New Delhi 110011.
    (INDIA)
    and call at
    Telephone No.: 23073483, 23073487, Mobile: 9868181004
    write at
    Mr. Bhagat Singh Koshyari, (M.P.)
    Chairman, Committee on Petitions of Rajya Sabha
    Hotel Uttranchal Deep, Naya Bazaar, Pithoragarh, Uttrakhand
    call at
    Telephone No.: {05964} 224854, 225654, Mobile: 09412057800
    Country code for India is 00-91.

    Copy of Petition:

    ———————————Filed on Monday, 14th Day of December 2009.———-

    To

    The Secretary General

    Rajya Sabha

    Parliament of India

    New Delhi.

    Petition: To The Committee on Petitions on ‘Food Without Discrimination’.

    From Ravi Ranjan Singh.

    Respectfully Showeth:

    Bharat is a secular country. Every citizen has Fundamental Rights.

    The Right to Live, Right to speak and Right to profess any Religion etc., is guaranteed by the constitution of India. Freedom of Speech and professing any Religion also means freedom of not Speaking, or not professing any Religion i.e. being neutral or refusal to follow ritual of any or every religion.

    In our Constitution every citizen has right to eat or drink as per her or his own wish as long as it is permissible under law or is not objected by others for valid reason. One also has right not to eat or drink any thing that is not permissible by one’s religion/sect, what is social taboo, or is not justified or is righteous according to one’s conscientious or belief or on medical ground, personal reasons.

    Most of the Hindus and the Sikhs don’t eat beef. Jains are vegetarians. Muslims are prohibited to take pork as it is religiously proscribed; it is HARAM for them but it is not proscribed for followers of many other faiths. Similarly, eating meat* (Slaughtered and served in Islamic way) is HALAL for Muslims but not permissible in many other religions. Kutha Meat or Halal is forbidden for Sikhs** and most Hindu Sects traditionally.

    Hence what is Halal (permissible) for Muslim may not be Halal (Permissible) for others. It would be right to call that meat, ISLAMIC/MUSLIM HALAL. Muslims have right to MUSLIM HALAL. Others have right to not have Muslim Halal. They cannot be compelled to or driven to a situation to have Halal Meat or have no Meat at all.

    Hindus who take meat consider Jhatka slaughtered meat, as righteous according to Hindu Traditions and Rituals. Hindus/Sikhs have right to have JHATKA. Muslims have right not to have Jhatka, they can’t be pushed to Jhatka or no meat choice.

    Often both Muslims and Hindus are not sure what meat they are eating, especially if is not self- cooked or by the one whom they know. When it is cooked, dressed, prepared, packed, or is at most eating joints, there is no surety. One is only sure when it is bought in raw form by themselves, from a Marked Halal or Jhatka shop.

    So Both Muslims and Non-Muslims are either compelled to forego taking meat, even one wants or need it, this is Infringement of their Fundamental Rights guaranteed by the Constitution, Or have to make a guilty conscientious, unwilling, in a way forced compromise to have forbidden meat, this is both contempt of faith and Infringement of Fundamental Rights.

    Hence there should be separate Logos for both Kind of meat. This will end the confusion. From now on, Meat slaughtered/made in accordance with Muslim rituals should be named and labeled with exclusive demarcations by LOGO and other means*** as Muslim Halal. So that Muslims be able to have MUSLIM HALAL, with surety. Others may not take it. Hindus who take meat in Jhatka meat have right to have it and can have it with confidence, of it being Jhatka only when there is Jhatka Logo. Furthermore, when the meat is supplied as Halal it should be proper Halal in accordance with Koran Shariff, no shortcuts or corrupt/compromise methods to be used. Same way when it’s Jhatka it should be proper Jhatka.

    There is no There is no Accountability Mechanism at present. An Independent Body with no influence of Slaughterhouse management or people involved in this business should monitor it.

    Every citizen has right to know what he is eating, buying or even serving or selling, especially when it’s the matter of faith and religious liberty. By not informing and providing food that may according to her/his religious adherence be forbidden or that particular food may defile or desecrate his religion or hurt his sentiments, this is unethical and infringement of her/his Fundamental Rights. The chances of mixing up and messing up, even after following safeguards are high, in absence of apparent indication. The Logos should be in pictorial form and text may also be there. There is a logo for Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian food in India and HALAL/MUSLIM labeling and logo or NOT-HALAL is mandatory in many other countries.
    Reasons for Petition

    1.Either Muslims or Non-Muslims are forced to forego non-vegetarian food despite their wish and medical need eating meat or are compelled to compromise when they want because of non-availability of the desired meat or surety about meat.

    2.Most Non-Muslims especially animal lovers (even some Muslims and vegetarians) feel MUSLIM HALAL is: –

    a. Torturous way of slaughtering animal. Though killing an animal for food is a part of food chain. Killing is not always barbaric, like killing for food, self-defence and mercy killing. In modern times even laws permit Capital Punishment, Courts when even when order Execution, ensure that (judicial) that method adopted is humane. Animals have right to be killed with least possible pain. Where as conventional Muslims believe it’s a religious duty to slaughter only in Halal way.

    b. It is unscientific, as slow killing increases chances of contamination and germination. Moreover while animal is killed slowly and torturously, animal is conscious, angry, emotionally charged, and helpless. In such condition certain chemical changes and secretion take place that are harmful and even poisonous. Whereas, Muslims feel it’s holy to slaughter in Koranic/Muslim way and this is not subject to any scrutiny social, emotional, legal, scientific, medical or otherwise.

    c. Koranic verses recitation is mandatory while killing, so it’s religious for Muslims. For others it is merely eating part of food chain and there is nothing religious about it. Those verses reaffirm one’s faith in Koran and Islam, may be good for good Muslims. But from non-Muslim point of view it is not only futile, whimsical, crude& imprudent exercise, but also an indirect attempt of imposition of an alien religion. Hence it’s an infringement of fundamental right to profess own religion. Serving such food or driving in to an indirect submission to particular process and faith is attempted effort to implant religion with trick. No citizen should be forced for that passive submission to a faith one does not believe in.

    3. As Halal can be done by practicing Male Muslims only, thus employment is denied to all others; when government institutions patronize one religious system, by buying or selling only one kind of meat this is discriminatory and unconstitutional and infringing religious as well as employment rights of others. Muslim Halal must be done by practicing Muslims otherwise is HARAM for Muslims; Many castes and tribes like KHATICS, Hindu Butchers and meat sellers, and ancillary trades involved as skin stuffing and weaving who have been in this trade since ages are victims of discrimination, facing unemployment. Non-Muslims feel this is Employment Discrimination and infringement of their fundamental rights. They also feel patronage to Halal will exterminate their ancestral skill and this is against principle of Natural Justice. Whereas Muslims consider its incidental and by default and not their fault or problem, they eat meat for their own reasons and not to run employment exchange or rehabilitation organization. Rightly, this is duty of government to promote equal opportunities policy and to fix uneven playing field. It’s not Muslims or Hindus who are inconsiderately endorsing, one meat policy; it is the Government. Disappointingly, many Government Organizations provide only one kind of meat, and they don’t provide information that what kind of meat they are supplying. Furthermore, they are not even bothered to know what kind of meat supplier is buying. Though Slaughter Houses follow two meat system from beginning to end, while slaughtering or hand over meat to taker. Slaughtering the approach of Government Organizations is so insensitive to this issue that is matter of faith and fundamental right, the very system adopted for procurement is least considerate, illogical and indifferent to emotion faith and aspirations of people of this country. The process of procuring meat adopted is to buy from lowest bidder, from single tender system for all meats. The supplier has freedom to supply anything that is profitable and that suits his personnel conviction & convenience. Ministries like Tourism Ministry, Ministry of Civil Aviation are massive consumer and wrongdoer on this issue. It is commonly believed Armed forces and Central Police Forces have evolved a better mechanism, but these days they are also not following procedures regularly. The faith of citizens of this country by Government Organizations is left to the whims & fancies and mercy of the contractor and Meat Mafia may be in connivance with certain elements Government Organizations.

    4. The slaughtering and packing should be allowed only at licensed, scientific, mechanized, sanitized abattoir. At present unorganized sector is carrying out lot of illegal and of course unhygienic cheap and health hazardous butchery for commercial gains. This is done countrywide and running a parallel industry and economy. This must be stopped.

    It is, therefore, prayed that:

    Both Muslim and Non-Muslims be allowed to practice their faith without confusion, consideration, discrimination, favor, fear, ill will or goodwill.

    Therefore:

    1. There should be clear indication by logo and other ways on all packed meat items;

    2. Individuals, households, private eateries, hotels, factories, packers can make, pack, sell, serve any type of meat according to their choice keeping in mind their own preferences, policy, social reasons and marketing demand; but it should be mandatory to inform consumer, buyer or taker/end user through logos and other means, what kind of Meat they are serving or selling.

    But, All Government**** Organizations, and private educational Institutions, hospitals, airports and private, should serve both kind of meat, keeping in view the sentiments of all citizens and deal without discrimination/preference to any religion;

    3. Where it’s not feasible for Government/Public organization to serve both kind of meat; neutral meat should be served i.e. no rituals of any religion to be observed. These Organizations should deal with supplier with no discrimination background;

    4. Separate tenders may be floated by the Government for two kinds of meat. As abattoirs carry out two different kind of butchery. A certificate from abattoir should be attached with every Purchase/delivery ;

    5. There should be a Parliamentary Committee or an Independent Body including Parliamentarians to monitor Meat and Related Industry.

    Reasons for placing Petition before this Committee:

    Parliament is Supreme Legislative body that can make law for entire country. People are suffering emotionally because of lethargy/apathy of Government Organizations and absence of a Central Act. Getting it passed from all State Governments & Local Bodies is not feasible. Beside it would be wasting National Resources if countless meat eaters or vegetarians, who feel this is a Just Cause, file several Petitions at different platforms. Petitioner understands a Central Act can include States, anyhow if its not obligatory for states accepting such Act, still this committee can okay for Central Government, but no Sate Government has Jurisdiction over Central Organizations. Railway is catering only one kind of Meat to the Parliament of India & M.P. canteens. That is a matter of direct concern for MPs and

    others who use Parliament canteens, or users its supply outside parliament and to Nation as a whole. The Railways are not sure what kind of meat supplier is supplying. Whereas when its raw meat is hand over at abettor, it is clearly categorized as Jhatka or Halal.

    So Honorable Parliament is the appropriate platform that can take up this issue.

    If Committee desires it can demand more documents and/or call petitioner in person.

    Name of Petitioner: Ravi Ranjan Singh

    Address of Petitioner: 28 A, Pocket B, Mayur Vihar Phase II Delhi 110091.

    Mob: 7838880446

    Footnotes:

    * Meat here means any kind of livestock including chicken and other poultry, which is slaughtered for purpose of human consumption.

    **Various Historical Sikh scriptures, citation and documents are there and above all Akal Takht Sahib has issued Hukumnama on this issue and that is binding for all Sikhs.

    *** Other means of informing about kind of meat can be verbal information or demarked sitting arrangement as it’s for smokers and non-smokers in hotels airports etc. or any technique that works.

    **** Government/Public Institution include any institute that is fully/fractionally owned or aided/subsidy provided, or is run/located in premises of Central Government or State Government, Public Sector Undertakings, Autonomous body, semi-governments bodies, any institution or where tax-payers money is involved or where general public can be consumer i.e. hospitals, hostels, prisons in India or abroad.

    24 Co-Petitioners